The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Season 2 is an interactive story game. Set in a world ravaged by a plague of zombies, the game is based on Robert Kirkman's popular comic, which also served as as the inspiration for the hit AMC tv series. The game consists of five episodes originally released by Telltale Games.

The Walking Dead Season 2 is a graphic interactive adventure in which the player takes on the role of eight-year-old Clementine, a supporting character from the first game. As the player moves Clementine around the post-apocalyptic environment, she will interact with a variety of different characters. These interactions are the heart of this and similar Telltale adventure games. At each break in the conversation, the player can choose one of a number of responses including staying quiet. A timer runs down while the player chooses; if no choice is made, Clementine stays silent by default. The many different options lead to different outcomes; characters remember how Clementine reacted to them, permanently changing their disposition toward her.

The Walking Dead isn't just a dialogue-based game, though; Clementine can also collect and use items and examine clues which will give her more information about the world around her. In a world filled with zombies, there's also plenty of perilous action; action gameplay is basically a series of quick-time events, with Clementine having to respond quickly to threats.

The timed nature of The Walking Dead's gameplay means that it keeps the tensions and interest of an action game while still having the depth and complexity of a more traditional dialogue-based game. The versatility of its conversation system also means that it can be replayed several times; aspects of the story can change dramatically based on the player's responses.

A bonus episode, "Michonne," deals with the titular character's time away from the main group of survivors in the comics. It follows the same format as the main game but has a different storyline.

Pros

• Gripping story
• Innovative dialogue gameplay
• Evocative characters
• Strong replay value

Cons

• Some adults find child-in-peril plotline uncomfortable